Ballymena town centre
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is to engage specialist retail consultants in a bid to ensure planning decisions “positively contribute to the health of town centres”.
A report presented to a recent meeting of the council’s Planning Committee showed a quarter of units in Larne town centre are vacant and footfall in Carrickfergus has dropped by almost 40 cent.
The Town Centre Health Check Report 2024 showed that Larne had 290 units in the town centre in 2018, 282 in 2021 and 277 in 2024. Of these, 72 are unoccupied compared to 62 in 2018 and 64 in 2021.
There are 22 “national multiples and major retailers”, of which, 19 are located in the town centre. Financial and business services occupy 7.5 per cent of premises, the report said.
Carrickfergus has a vacancy rate of 24.3 per cent.
The Northern Ireland vacancy average is 20.1 per cent. There were 265 retail units in the town centre in 2018, 255 in 2021 and 246 in 2024. Of these, 69 were vacant in 2018, 65 in 2021 and 60 in 2024.
The report noted the majority of retail services in Carrick town centre were health and beauty units with a “steadily increasing number of leisure services”.
It indicated that footfall in the town centre has fallen by almost 40 per cent between April 2018 and April 2024. Footfall counters are located at Market Place, High Street and North Street.
Larne town centre experienced a decrease in footfall of six per cent between April 2023 and April 2024. Pedestrian counters are located at Broadway and Main Street. Ballymena had a fall of 4.4 per cent during the same period.
The report indicated Ballymena has the “most comprehensive and diverse offer of retail and services” and, as a result, is the most popular of the three for retailing. Footfall counters are located at Church Street, Broughshane Street and Ballymoney Street.
Ballymena’s proportion of vacant units was 19 per cent in March, down from almost 25 per cent in 2021. The town centre had 605 units in 2018, 601 in 2021 and 558 in 2024. Of these, 125 were vacant in 2018, 149 in 2021 and 107 in 2024.
Speaking at the Planning Committee meeting, principal planning officer Sandra Adams, said:
“Ballymena has the most comprehensive and diverse offer of retail and services of the three main town centres. The proportion of vacant units within the town centre is below the Northern Ireland average. Ballymena appears to be recovering after the pandemic.
“Larne town centre has the highest vacancy rate of the three which is 26 per cent and this is concerning.
“Carrickfergus not only has a high vacancy rate but most concerning is the footfall figure. This has fallen by a remarkable 37.9 per cent over a six-year period from the initial survey.
“From a planning perspective, every effort must be made to ensure the decline of footfall figures and vacancy levels do not continue further.”
The officer indicated the council will again engage specialist retail consultants Nexus in the coming months to provide specialist training to ensure planning decisions “positively contribute” to the health of Mid and East Antrim’s town centres.
Commenting on the decrease in footfall in Carrickfergus, Knockagh Alliance Councillor Aaron Skinner described it as “horrendous”.
“I think if you ask some of the town centre traders, they would probably tell you it is much worse than that. Regardless of what the figure is, footfall is down substantially across the board.”
In response to Cllr Skinner’s query on town centre living, the officer said:
“The one thing we are very conscious of within Carrick is that there is such potential for the narrow historic streets for quite an attractive appeal to locals and tourists alike.”
Commenting on the report, Brian McRandal, chair of Larne Business Forum, said:
“Larne Business Forum are deeply concerned by information highlighted in the recent Town Centre Health Check report. Over the last 12 months, we have engaged with all our local elected representatives to highlight to them the challenges faced by local business within Larne town centre and look at how best to tackle these challenges.
“We believe that collaboration is essential at both council and Executive level if real, lasting regeneration of Larne town centre is to be achieved as this can only happen when the root causes are properly dealt with.
“Average income in Larne is significantly lower than nearby Belfast, leaving less disposable income available, especially during a cost of living crisis. Creating pathways to higher paid jobs and attracting those employers to the town must be a priority to help drive the local economy.
“Through our ‘Imagine Larne’ event, we encouraged local business and community leaders to imagine how they would like to see Larne in the future and we have urged that local consultation and input is at the centre of any planning and decision making moving forward.
“Town centre living, health and well-being services, leisure, retail, arts and hospitality all have a part to play in any meaningful regeneration plans moving forward and it our belief that these should be community led and consultant facilitated.
“Larne Business Forum are currently engaged with MEABC on plans to develop a new sub-regional plan. What is very clear is that Larne town centre and the broader Larne economy is in urgent need of significant financial support, new ideas and local input.”